Jellicoe Theatre Hosts Innovative Tech re:connect Event

Spiralled by the Creative and Digital Team, the re:connect conference was hosted at the Jellicoe Theatre on Wednesday, 14^th August. The re:connect conference states on its website that: ”Aims to bring tech conferences to this picturesque part of the UK’s beautiful south coast boasting a number of tech and digital businesses” and that it is: “a thriving community of modern, innovative and ambitious talent, joining forces to learn from each other as well as industry experts.”

The first keynote speaker included Sally Goble with ‘No Plan Survives First Contact with the Enemy: Managing through Large Scale Organisational Change’ giving a fantastic overview of the culture of change from an NHS communications perspective of overcoming the difficulties of silo-working, change personas in the workplace, the Kubler-Ross ‘change curve’, and more. She spoke of some finer points such as the cyclical effect of planned strategy launches that do not come on time, how hard it is to be a middle manager, and re-implementing the same strategies, following consultation. Other speakers included Shelley Collins-Trevett (Dorset LEP support for Tech businesses); Sharon Jones hosting the Made in Dorset panel discussion, and Andy Stanford-Clark (Mayflower Autonomous Ship: The Future of Autonomous Marine Exploration). 

After lunch, several break-out sessions ‘Discover 3D Design in VR’ – (Design in VR, AUB); ‘An Introduction to Hardware Coding’ – (Yunex Traffic), and’ From Fear to Excitement: Master the Art of Acing your Interview’ (Equal IT) along with several others, were well in action and well attended.

Promoting at the event, Head Channel, which prides itself on giving companies the ‘digital edge’ are: “experts in developing Bespoke business-oriented solutions’.  Jo Temple (Finance Director) and colleague Sydney Fensom (Operations Manager) at Cohaesus said: “We’ve really enjoyed this event. It’s great to network and meet other tech companies. We are excited to be here and get the opportunity to come to re: connect and get behind the scenes. The re: connect conference was well-informed and we liked the speakers who kept it very real.” Head Channel works with banks, healthcare companies, manufacturers and laboratories among many other organisations. 

Organisers Seemin Suleri and Sharon Jones first met through Digital Dorset’s Dorset Coding Day initiative. Seemin stated: “re:connect is not just a conference, it is a movement to set an example of how to bring together tech communities. It is diverse by nature, attracting a varied set of ages, ethnicities and genders.

“We welcome and celebrate the individual contributions from everyone. It shows us, that even with limited resources, what is possible when you set your mind to it.”